


The Return of the King

by deviantsadvocate



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), F/M, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Modern Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-01-04 00:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21188201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deviantsadvocate/pseuds/deviantsadvocate
Summary: Many centuries after the death of King Arthur, Merlin is still a young warlock. Now in the twenty-first century, with a young sorceress by his side, he tries to find the reasons why he hasn't aged. Has his destiny not yet been fulfilled?





	1. The Return

In a time of myth and an age of magic, the destiny of a great Kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man. His name...  
"Merlin?"

Coming back to his senses the room came into focus. He turned his head to the right where the voice had come from. Sat there was a girl in her twenties grinning widely at the wide-eye expression that was presumably on his face. 

“Sorry, what did you say? I zoned out” he said sheepishly. This only caused the girl to give a small laugh. 

“I was only saying that I’ll see you next week” she replied. 

“Oh, um, yeah. See you next week”

The girl laughed once more, shaking her head slightly and standing up before leaving the room. Merlin looked around the room to see that everyone else was getting up and leaving as well. He was sat towards the back of a fairly large lecture theatre. About three quarters of the room was taken up by two rows of wooden desks which spread over each half of the room. Each row was higher than the one in front and was split in the middle to allow people to enter and leave the rows down the staircase.  
Like the others, Merlin packed his belongings into a worn, dark brown backpack. Determined not the be the last one left in the room, he followed the others as they drifted out of the room.  
With his backpack slung over his shoulders Merlin walked through the corridors, past groups of university students who stood in small groups talking each other, and past others going their own way. He walked through the automatic glass front doors of the university building, turning right towards the city centre. He checked the old watch strapped to his wrist. The face was cracked but he could still read the time perfectly fine. It was just gone ten past eleven. He had plenty of time or at least that was what he was telling himself.  
Picking up his pace he weaved through the steadily increasing crowds, occasionally seeing a few people he knew but merely nodded his head rather than stopping for a conversation. After a few minutes Merlin turned a corner and could finally see his destination. It was an old pub which had been turned into a café, but most of its original structure still remained. Something about it being against the law to change it the owner had once said. The walls were a faded brown and the windows had individual squares of glass with wood bordering them. Outside there were metal chairs and tables for people to sit on if it was a nice day, but they were all empty. It was far too cold to sit outside.  
Merlin reached the dark, wooden door and took a moment to catch his breath. He didn’t realise that he had been walking so fast. Either that or he was really unfit. Once fine, he opened the door and was instantly hit with warmth. The interior of the café was small and dark, but in a comforting way. The walls were all composed of exposed brick and the floor was covered in a dark grey carpet. Various paintings of different local landscapes were hung up on the walls. A till was placed at the back of the room with various sandwiches and cakes, oak tables which were low down were scattered across the room and comfy, armchair-like chairs accompanied them. The café was not busy, only two couples, a middle-aged man and a young girl were there. Ignoring the rest, Merlin headed strait towards the young girl. She was sat at a table next to a roaring fireplace, legs crossed and hands cupping a mug as she stared out of a small widow. Unlike the one at the front of the building, this one was just a normal window. Unfortunately, it had been smashed a year or two before and the owners couldn’t afford to have it fixed to match the other. As it was at the back of the building, he city’s council didn’t really mind.  
The girl appeared to be around the same age as Merlin, maybe a little younger. She was pale with short, wavy hair which only just reached her chin. It was dyed blue, but the colour was fading back to brunette. She wore an oversized cream knitted jumper, which made her frame look tiny, and wore black leggings with simple black and white trainers on her feet.  
As Merlin approached the girl turned her hear towards him. Once they maintained eye contact, she grinned in recognition which only caused him to grin back. As he sat in the chair opposite, she looked at the clock positioned on top of the fireplace beside. 

“Wow, you’re getting good at this” she teased.

“Yeah another few centuries and I’ll be perfect” he shot back. “How long have you been waiting?”

“Around half an hour” she replied. “I got here quicker than expected”.

Merlin was about to say something when he heard his name being called. The two looked up as a middle-aged man approached. 

“I thought something had happened between you too! It’s strange to see the two of you apart!” he joked.

“Everything’s fine Stephan, I just had class this morning”

Stephan Flanagan was the owner of the café. The two had been going there since they discovered it a few years ago. He was loud and nosey at times, but he had a good heart. 

“That’s good to hear. Can I get you anything?” he asked. 

“No thank you” said Merlin. “I think we have to leave soon. We’ve got a train to catch” 

“Oh ok. Maybe next time huh?” he said as he turned and started to walk away. “And Morgan?”

“Yeah?” the girl turned to face him once more.

“Make sure you keep him out of trouble. He was out of breath when he got here”

“You know I always do!” she laughed. Merlin’s face started to go red.

Her face suddenly went serious “You ok?” she asked, prompting Merlin to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Well he just made fun of me-”

“I meant are you ok because of what day it is?” 

“Oh, um, I guess”. Her brown eyes scanned his face with slight concern, knowing that he was trying to hide his emotions. She was able to read his emotions quite well by this point. However, she chose not to say anything about it. 

Drinking the last few drops of her drink she placed the empty cup on the table and slipped on her coat.  
A few hours later, the two stepped off a train onto a nearly empty platform. The only other people there was a mother and her two children, and a very bored looking worker who signalled the train to depart before retreating to a small office, escaping the cold. The sky was misleading, mostly blue with a few clouds dotted here and there, but there was definitely a chill in the air.  
The two left the station, walking down the quiet road until they reached the edge of a woodland trail. They made their way down it without a word, both seeming to be in their own worlds. Their feet seemed to take them towards their destination without them thinking about it. It was quiet except for the crunching of leaves under their feet and the chirping of birds somewhere above them. All they could see were trees which blocked out some of the daylight. If someone didn’t know where they were going then it would be so easy to get lost. After roughly twenty minutes the trees started to thin and eventually, they reached a grass verge which covered the edge of a large lake which stretched further than the eye could see. Behind it there were several mountains, the tips covered in white. 

The Lake of Avalon.

Merlin stepped forward to the waters edge and sat down. In silence he looked at the water which rippled due to the slight breeze. His expression turned into one of pain as he thought back to that day. They day Camelot lost their king.  
He felt a presence move and sit beside him, but he didn’t move his head. With her legs crossed she rested her head against his shoulder as she also looked at the water. Slowly he moved his head to rest on hers. 

“Do you want to say everything to him?” She could feel him shake his head. 

“I tell you this every year, it’s not your fault”.

“I know” he replied in a small voice, tears in his eyes. 

Centuries since Arthur’s death, the two had made the journey to visit the Lake almost every year to pay their respects to their fallen king. Every year it got a tiny bit easier, but Merlin still felt like it was his fault that Arthur had died. Morgan, the young girl who had been beside him all that time, knew this and constantly reminded him that it was not the case, and it helped, but not completely.  
The two sat there for hours and morning turned to afternoon and then to evening. The sky had turned golden as the sun started to set just above the horizon. However, it felt like merely minutes for them as they reflected on their lives and those they had lost. 

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately” Morgan said turning her whole body to face Merlin. “About why we haven’t aged”. 

Merlin turned his head, looking quizzingly at her. 

“You said that Kilgharrah told you that it was your destiny to help Arthur unite the lands of Albion?”

He nodded slowly, still confused. “He said that we were two sides of the same coin or something”.

“What if we haven’t aged because you haven’t completed your destiny. It would make sense as to why I haven’t aged either. Because I am yet to complete mine.”

Merlin didn’t immediately say anything, but his expression told her that he didn’t agree. “How can I complete my destiny, Arthur’s dead.”

“I know but we didn’t meet until after that. It would make sense”.

Morgan (which was her current alias), just like Merlin, had hardly aged at all since Arthur died due to the wound Mordred inflicted upon him. On that day many centuries ago, Merlin slowly made his way back to Camelot to deliver the terrible news. However, whilst walking through the woods he met Morgan and the two had been inseparable. The two were similar, both had magic and big destinies. Morgan’s was to become Emrys’ protector, to ensure that he was able to complete his own. Her job was to be someone he could rely on, confide in and stay by his side. Hence the reason she hadn’t aged all that much. They two rarely separated from each other. They had both tried to come up with explanations why they were still young and had settled for the fact that they were both extremely powerful.

“I know it’s a long shot, but he also said that when the time comes Arthur will rise again. Right?” he pressed.

“I doubt that will happen, if Arthur was going to ‘rise again’ he would have done it already”. He sighed. He desperately wanted answers but that wasn’t going to happen.

Defeated, Morgan just sat in silence in her own thoughts, looking at her hands which rested in her lap. Merlin stared into the water again. Neither of them noticed as the previously clear sky suddenly became cloudy. The golden light seeped through the clouds and a ray of light shone into the middle of the lake and an unconscious figure appeared in the water. 

“Oh my god” Merlin stood up suddenly causing Morgan to follow. Her eyes scanned the lake before she noticed the figure as well. Without a moment’s hesitation, she kicked off her shoes, took off her coat and the jumper leaving her in a black vest top and her leggings and dived into the water before Merlin could stop her. He could swim himself, but Morgan was always the stronger swimmer. He could only watch in worry as he watched her swim towards the figure. The figure was so close in front of her before he suddenly was dragged underwater. Taking a deep breath, she followed and dove once again under the water.  
It felt like an eternity, but she still hadn’t come back up. Overcome with worry he was about to dive in himself when the clouds cleared, and he could see the young sorceress break the surface with the figure in her arms. The golden light from the setting sun behind them make them look like they were glowing. 

Slowly she dragged the figure back to the shore. Merlin could see that it was a guy covered in silver. As the two reached the shore, Merlin approached the unconscious man and the panting girl, leaning over with hands on her knees. As he got closer, he could see the face more clearly, once which he only saw in his memories. He stumbled backwards, face turning white, hands covering his mouth and tears cascading down his face. Morgan looked up at him, face turning to an expression of concern. She was about to speak but what stopped when Merlin said one word. A name. 

“Arthur?”


	2. The King

“Arthur?”

Merlin froze, unable to comprehend the scene in front of him. His eyes were playing tricks on him. This wasn’t happening. It was impossible.  
Morgan was trying her best not to panic. Even though all she wanted was to comfort the young warlock, she had to help the man who was lying unconscious on the ground next to her. Kneeling beside him she tried her best to find a pulse. Her hand held his wrist, but she was unable to find anything. She placed her head against the left side of the man’s chest, still holding onto his wrist. She blocked out the sounds of the water in the breeze and remained in that position for a couple of minutes. She began to lose hope but as she stayed there, she managed to hear his heart beat. It was weak but he was still alive. Acting quickly, she sat up and placed both hands over his heat and prayed that what she did next would work. 

“Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!”

Her eyes flashed gold as he focused all her energy onto the spot above man’s heart. She returned to her previous position. Head resting on his chest once again she waited. Thirty seconds passed and nothing happened. Her energy had been drained but if she had to try again-  
Suddenly the man took a deep breath and started to cough up water. Morgan moved to sit next the man’s hand and placed it into her lap to try and prevent him from chocking. After a short time, he stopped and fell unconscious once more. She checked that he was still breathing before turning to Merlin whom hadn’t moved a muscle. His eyes stayed fixed on the man. It took her a moment to register what he had said before. 

“Merlin?” His eyes shifted to meet hers. So many emotions flashed in them, but his face still was one of shock. “We need to get him to a hospital” she said softly. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she couldn’t show it. She had to be calm. Merlin just nodded his head, unable to speak. 

A few hours later the two sat in a private hospital room. The man was asleep on the bed, wires connecting his body to a variety of machines. The room was silent except for the beeping of a few machines. He was extremely pale but looked peaceful. An oxygen mask covered his face which made the sound of his breathing louder than it would normally be.  
To the right of the bed Merlin and Morgan sat on wooden chairs that had been pulled from another room. They shouldn’t have been allowed to stay, but one look at their faces and no-one had dared to tell them they couldn’t. Neither had moved in the hours they had been there. Merlin’s eyes shifted from the man’s face and to the machines and then back again. His hand held onto Morgan’s where it had been since they got to the hospital. He hadn’t uttered a word, but his grip told Morgan everything that she needed to know. She let him be whilst she explained to the paramedics and doctors what had happened, making up some story about how they just found him by the side of the lake. It was mostly true. She just failed to mention the parts about the magic. The doctors thanked her for her quick thinking and reassured them that they prognosis looked good. There was a high chance that he would make it. They were both relieved.  
However, something was bugging Morgan. 

“Why did you call him Arthur?” she asked softly. 

Merlin turned to face her, daring to take his eyes off the sleeping figure, and met her eyes. She was trying to hide it, but Merlin could see that she was tired and worried. He sighed and spoke for the first time since they got to the lake. 

“That’s him” he said, his voice breaking. He hadn’t believed it at first. There was no way that it could have been, he thought that his eyes had been playing tricks on him. It was impossible. Then again, the two of them not aging was also impossible. Saying it out loud confirmed it. Somehow Arthur Pendragon was alive and was laying in front of them. Pretty much alive. 

“That’s impossible. You said he died” Morgan stated in confusion. There was no way. 

“He did. I know I thought I was wrong at first, but I cannot deny it. It’s him”. 

“But how?”

“I don’t know” Merlin sighed.

The two went silent as the young woman process what he had said. Merlin watched as she tried to process this new information. A few minutes later she picked up her bag from the floor next to her. 

“I’m going to find us something to eat and drink” she said, and Merlin almost reluctantly let go of her hand. Standing up she stroked Merlin’s cheek with her thumb to comfort him. “I won’t go far” she smiled at him. Turning she walked out of the room, closing the door softly. 

Left on his own, Merlin placed his head in his hands. “What does this mean?” he said out loud, his voice shaking, and he tried to process everything that was happening. He knew that he was still in shock which wasn’t helping.  
His head snapped up when the beeping from the machines increased in speed. In panic Merlin ran to the door and shouted out for help. Doctors and nurses rushed in as he was pushed to the side. Through the crowd of medical staff, he could see familiar blue eyes, wide open in fear and shouting which grew louder. Merlin tried to get to him but kept on being pushed back. His breathing got faster, and tears spilled from his eyes at the fact that he was unable to help. He was forced to just stand there and watch.  
Hands wrapped around his waist and a head rested against his shoulder. Morgan tried her best to comfort him. 

“He’ll be ok”. 

The scene returned to its calm state once more. The sky outside had turned black signalling how much time had passed. Stars were dotted around, and the full moon illuminated the sky. Just like earlier that day there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Only two people were left in the room. Arthur had fallen unconscious again and hadn’t awoken since that brief time several hours earlier. Morgan had gone home. She was reluctant to leave but the spell that she used to save Arthur had drained her energy a lot more than she thought. With Merlin’s reassurance that he would be ok and the promise that he would call her if anything changes, she left.  
Merlin was sat on the chair, head resting on his hand as he dozed, refusing to go to sleep. The chair was uncomfortable, but he didn’t dare move. He was brought back to reality when he heard coughing coming from in front of him. 

“Arthur?”

At the sound of his voice the blonde looked in his direction. Immediate recognition shone in his blue eyes, but they were still wide with fear. Merlin moved his chair, so he was right beside him. “Don’t panic, you’re fine”.  
Arthur eventually stopped coughing and tried to speak, but the oxygen mask he was wearing was stopping him. Even though he shouldn’t have, Merlin pulled the mask down from his face and poured him a glass of water. Arthur slowly sat up and with shaky hands, sipped it slowly. Merlin could see the confusing present on his face, as well as fear as his eyes darting from one thing to the next. Everything would be so alien and unfamiliar to him. The only thing he would recognise was the warlock next to him. Arthur handed the glass back and spoke, his voice croaking from not speaking in so long. 

“Where am I?”

His voice was small and Merlin almost broke. Never had he seen Arthur so scared and unsure. He understood why but it didn’t make it any easier. He had no idea how to explain. Arthur was still recovering, and Merlin didn’t want to give him too much information to process at once. He also was not sure about how much he remembered. 

“You are at the hospital. I will explain more when we leave, but it’s been a very long time since you… fell unconscious. We found you at the Lake of Avalon and brought you here. 

A lot has changed”.


	3. The Friend

The days passed in a blur with so much happening, but also so little. Once Arthur was deemed stable, he wasn’t in need of so much supervision by doctors. They only came in every few hours to check his vitals before leaving again. Merlin came and sat by his side during visiting hours (and occasionally when it wasn’t). He woke up in the early hours of the morning and went straight there and didn’t come home until Arthur had fallen asleep. The first day or so the two had sat in silence. After all, it couldn’t have been easy to hear that you had died and come back to life thousands of years in the future to see that your previous servant looked pretty much the same except for his clothing. Merlin had explained as much as he could without caused Arthur to go into shock. He told him not to react too much and to just let the doctors do what they had to and thankfully Arthur listened. They just thought he had severe amnesia. However, Merlin explained as much as he could over the following days and answered as many questions as he could. He even produced pictures and videos on his phone to help. At least it did once the initial shock of moving pictures wared off.  
At the other side of the city, Morgan had to act as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. She attended her own university lectures as per usual and covered for Merlin. It had been a few days since the incident at the lake and Merlin hadn’t been in since. It hadn’t been too long but when people thought of Merlin, they usually thought of her as well. After all, they did spend a large time together. His friends and lecturers would come up to her as she was walking through the corridors. She lied and told them he was ill, a bad case of the flu. She could have told them a form of the truth and that someone he knew was in hospital, but that would lead to questions and neither of them needed that. Once she finished her day at university they went back to their flat, did any work that she had to do, made food and then waited until Merlin got home. She forced him to eat but he was too exhausted to make much conversation. 

“How is he?” she would ask.

“Getting better” he would reply. 

That was how far their conversations would go. Merlin would then head off to bed and after washing up the dishes Morgan would follow suit. When she woke up in the morning he would be gone, and the routine would start all over again.  
However, just over a week after the incident Morgan was sat at the back of her lectures when her phone which was placed on her desk started to ring. Luckily it was on silent and she leaned forward to see the caller ID. 

‘M’ 

Morgan lowered herself in her seat, so she was behind the person sat in front of her and picked up her phone to answer it. 

“Is everything ok?” she whispered. 

“Everything’s fine. Arthur’s being discharged” Merlin’s voice came through the phone.

“Do you need me to come?” 

“Yes please. And can you bring some clothes?” 

“Ok, I’ll be there as soon as I can”. 

Morgan ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and scribbled a note onto it. She passed it to a girl, who also happened to be a friend, to her left. 

‘Family emergency, cover for me?’

The girl took a moment to read the note before mouthing ‘go’ to her. Quickly, Morgan packed her stuff away and headed out of the back door of the lecture theatre. Once she was out, she walked as quick as she could to her apartment, stuffed a few items of clothing into a backpack and headed out the door once again to make her way to the hospital. About twenty minutes after Merlin’s call, she arrived at the hospital room. Inside, the doctor was explaining things to the two young men. Arthur was sat on the edge of the hospital bed with Merlin stood at his side. After giving Merlin a paper bag, presumably full of medication, he left the room. Only then did they notice her presence. 

“I brought clothes and a pair of shoes” she said holding the backpack out to Merlin. “I’ll wait outside” she said before turning and exiting the room, closing the door behind her.  
About five minutes later Merlin called her to come back in. When she opened the door, Arthur was now stood up and changed out of his hospital gown, now he was wearing a long sleeved, grey shirt with black jeans and an old pair of trainers. All of which only just fit. 

“I think we need to get you new clothes. Great choice there.” Merlin teased and handed Morgan her backpack back. 

“Hey, those were the first things I picked up. I had to run out of the lecture because of you!”

“Thank you” another voice said. Both warlocks turned their heads to face Arthur who was stood watching them. “For the clothes and helping me the other day” he said sheepishly. 

“It’s no problem” she replied. 

The three did their last checks and exited the hospital. It was a sunny day with a few clouds in the sky. The three made their way down the street in silence. Arthur was on the right, Merlin in the middle and Morgan on the left. It was a few minutes until Merlin just stopped in the middle of the pavement. The other two halted a few steps in front. 

“Everything ok?” Morgan asked uncertainly. 

“I haven’t introduced you two!” he exclaimed which caused the young woman to sigh. 

“I thought something was wrong!”. 

It was true though; Morgan hadn’t been to the hospital since Arthur was admitted to give them some space and the whole ‘trying to act as if nothing was wrong’ thing. Of course, she knew exactly who Arthur was. Merlin had told her hundreds of stories about there time in Camelot over the centuries they knew each other. However, Morgan was never there when Arthur was King, so she was a complete stranger. Morgan held her hand out which Arthur took and shook it kind of awkwardly. 

“I’m Morgan” she introduced herself simply, unsure what to say. She didn’t want to say too much because she wasn’t sure how much Merlin had told him. 

“Arthur Pendragon. It’s very nice to meet you” he replied. He still held himself as a Knight despite how long it had been, but then again, it would have been merely minutes for him. 

The three started to walk in silence but it was Arthur who once again broke the silence 

“So… are you like him?” he asked as if he was unsure whether it would offend her. 

“An idiot? No” she teased while ginning at Merlin who gently hit her on her arm. “A warlock, yes I am”. 

“How did you meet?” 

“I helped him get back to Camelot after you, you know...”

Arthur hummed in response and went back to silence, deep in thought. Merlin and Morgan exchanged eye contact but didn’t say anything either. The rest of the walk back was uneventful and only a few words were exchanged, mostly between the warlocks as Morgan updated him on what had happened over the last week. Before long they arrived at their apartment building. The walls were made from light brown bricks with wooden windowpanes, which had been re-painted white recently. There were five floors in total and a small walkway leading to the front door lined with a few plants and bushes. The door was a wooden door painted the same as the windows and when Morgan unlocked it with her keys it creaked. The entryway had a row of letterboxes lining the wall next to the door and two apartment doors to the right. On the left was a wooden staircase which Morgan lead the two men up. They climbed up to the top floor, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the corridors. They stopped in front of apartment ten. Morgan unlocked the door and allowed the two men to come in, locking the door behind them all. She pulled off her jacket and hooked it on the door and took off her shoes. She turned to the boys.

“Do you want me to make something to eat?” she asked. Both looked to Arthur, but he was still in his own world. Morgan nudged Merlin. “I’ll see if I can find something”.  
Meanwhile Arthur looked around the apartment with wide eyes. It wasn’t particularly big, but neither Merlin nor Morgan minded, it wasn’t as if they’d be here permanently. In a few years they would have to move on, but they didn’t want to think of that for the time being. The living room comprised of a brown, two-seater leather sofa and a matching armchair placed almost next to it. There were a few cushions of white and red placed on it. Next to it was a matching armchair with a matching cushion. The floor was made from oak wood panelling and the walls were painted white. On the floor there was a small white rug with a see-through coffee table placed on top with a few books and other little knick-knacks. Opposite the sofa was a small TV on an oak stand with a few draws’ underneath it. The kitchen was connected to the living room and the only separation was from counter which sort of acted as a wall between the two rooms. It was small with that counter as the only one, plus an oven, fridge-freezer, washing machine and microwave. There were few cupboards overhead on the wall and a four-seater table placed in the corner. Both were made from oak (notice a theme?). Behind the sofa in the living room there was a large double window that looked out at the front of the building. From it you could see the entire city and the sunset in the distance. Further into the apartment there were two doors, one a bedroom and another a bathroom. Like it was said before, it was very small, but it was cosy.  
Morgan simply made sandwiches and made a mental note to go food shopping, especially as they now had an extra guest. They ate in silence, Arthur and Merlin sat on the sofa and Morgan on the armchair. Once they were done Arthur finally spoke. 

“If you don’t mind, I would like to retire”.  
Merlin was about to reply but then looked at Morgan. I guess there was a new dilemma. 

There was only one bed.


	4. The Query

** _ Crowds of people bustled through a busy train station trying to get to their correct platforms. Trains were lined up at the end of every platform and the smoke coming from their engines casted a gloomy cloud overhead. On the steps into the trains, conductors shouted, and whistles were blown. However, they faded into the noise made from the beforementioned crowds. Mothers called after their children who had strayed a little too far and men stood beside them proudly wearing military uniforms. _ **

** _ One of these platforms stood Morgan and Merlin in a tight embrace. Glum expressions adorned both of their faces. Morgan was dressed in a dark blue coat which stopped just above her ankles and was done up tightly. She wore a pair of black gloves and a woollen scarf was wrapped around her neck to try and fight against the Autumn breeze. Merlin, on the other hand, was in the same military uniform that all of the men in the station were wearing. It was a khaki-brown jacket with matching trousers. The jacket had four pockets, two on the chest and two larger one’s underneath. A belt of the same colour with a steel buckle was fastened around his waist. He wore a peaked hat of the same colour and was made of wool. It covered his hair which had been cut shorter than usual. _ **

** **

** _ “I don’t want you to go” Morgan spoke, her voice breaking as she refused to let the tears brimming fall. _ **

** **

** _ “You know I don’t have a choice” he replied trying to hold himself together as well. Neither of them wanted to be the one to break down. _ **

** **

** _ It was September 1939, and with the outbreak of the Second World War, the National Service Act was put into action. This meant that all men between the ages of eighteen and forty-one had to join the army. The only exceptions were those with medical conditions which prevented them from fully committing to their service or those in vital positions or industries. During the First World War the two were able to hide undetected and avoided conscription. However, this time they weren’t so lucky. _ **

** **

** _ “Hey” Merlin said softly, breaking their embrace. He placed a hand underneath her chin and moved her so she met his eyes. “They say that it will all be over by Christmas. I will be back before you know it”. _ **

** **

** _ Their conversation was cut short by a shout which cut their time short. Merlin had to board the train. Morgan stared into his eyes with deep intensity. _ **

** **

** _ “Do whatever you need to in order to get yourself home”. _ **

** **

** _ With once final embrace they parted, and Merlin made his way onto his train. Morgan could only stand and watch as the carriage doors were closed. Merlin found his way to a window and, like the other men, leaned out. As it pulled out of the station the two waved at each other. Morgan continued until the train had disappeared into distance. Only then did she let those tears finally fall. She didn’t know if she would ever see him again. _ **

The next morning Morgan left almost as soon as she had woken up. It had taken a lot of convincing on her part, but Morgan insisted that she would sleep on the sofa and for Arthur to have the bed. Poor Merlin was left to sleep on an old airbed (that they were pretty sure had a hole in it) to make sure that Arthur was ok.

Merlin walked out of the bedroom, stretching in an attempt to relieve his aching back. He was followed by Arthur who had looked a little brighter than he did the previous day. He seemed a little less bewildered by his surroundings. They both quickly noticed Morgan’s absence. The blankets she had used were thrown into a pile at the end of the sofa. Absent-mindedly, Merlin walked over and started to fold them.

“Where has she gone?” Arthur asked looking around the room as if she was hiding.

“I don’t know” Merlin answered, not concerned. He placed the folded blankets on the armchair and picked up his mobile which he had left on the coffee table the previous night. He pressed the on button, but nothing happened. It had run out of battery. He searched around for the charging lead and plugged it in. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

“If you’re cooking then no”.

“I’ll have you know that I’ve had quite a long time to improve” Merlin pretended to act offended.

“I’ll have to see it to believe it”

Luckily for him, the front door opened and in walked Morgan. She had a couple of carrier bags in her hands which banged against the doorframe. Merlin jogged over to her and took a few off her. She kicked the door closed behind her.

“Thank you. I wasn’t sure if the two of you would be awake” she huffed a little out of breath.

“Even if we were, it wouldn’t be for long with the amount of noise you just made”. Merlin grinned as he placed the bags on the kitchen counter.

“You’re so funny” she replied sarcastically placing her bags next to the others. She turned to Arthur and pointed to two bags. “I bought you some clothes. I wasn’t sure what size, so I just guessed. We can always get more later if you want”.

“Thank you” he said peering into the bags.

“I also bought some more food, so we don’t run out”

“You didn’t have to do that on your own”

“I was awake so why not?”

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. The clothes that Morgan had bought seemed to be the right side. Although Arthur did look a little bit uncomfortable in jeans. They had shown him the television and the history channel had been playing most of the day. Arthur had been glued to it the entire time, but whether it was the history or that there were pictures moving on the screen which was the most fascinating to him they did not know. It kept him entertained so Morgan filled Merlin in on what he missed, or as much as she could seeing as they were doing different courses. As the sky darkened, they heard Arthur sigh. They both looked up.

“Arthur, are you ok?” Merlin asked with concern

“I think so” he replied glumly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why am I here?” he asked turning to face the two warlocks with wide eyes.

“We don’t know” Merlin sighed.

“We’ve been asking the same question for centuries” Morgan admitted. “Neither of us have aged since the day of the battle. Your return must have some significant reason, but we don’t have any answers”. Arthur hummed deep in thought.

“There was a prophecy about the two of us. To keep it simple, you were destined to unite the lands of Albion. When you, well, you know, I was told that you would rise again when Albion’s need is greatest. However, Albion as such isn’t around anymore” Merlin explained.

“We don’t have any answers yet. At the moment our priority is getting you back to full health. Then we’ll figure out the answers” Morgan added.

“Whatever happens we’ll figure it out”.


End file.
